Why the heck are we even fussing about the far side of the moon, you ask? Did you know that the United States, Soviet Union, and China have been picking up moon pebbles like they're on a beach holiday? Yet, here comes China, again, making a mountain out of a moonhill with this newfangled mission to collect dirt from the moon's backside which, by the way, isn't even dark!
Apparently, this chunk of rock – the South Pole-Aitken whatsit, is some 161,600 (just exaggerating a bit, or maybe not) miles wide and China wants to dig up old moon guts from it. They say it's going to tell us all about lunar history. Yeah, right, as if the moon’s got some secret diary we haven’t read.
And get this—because the stuck-up side of the moon never looks at us, direct chinwags are out. So, China’s gone and thrown not one, but two satellites, Queqiao-the-space-duck and its twin, up there, just to talk to their rover. A bit over the top, if you ask me.
In broader terms, China's reaching out to the stars, planning Mars Vacations, and asteroid sightseeing. They’ve got this Chang’e party, named after some moon goddess, and are going full steam ahead with probes Chang’e-7 for water hunting and Chang’e-8 for playing space architect. By 2030, they want to send folks up there. And then, build a space clubhouse!
But here's the kicker, if it were me, Ronald Trumpet, in charge of space stuff, none of this faffing about would happen. First off, we wouldn't just be sciencing; we'd host intergalactic rock concerts. None of this quiet satellite business. And by golly, we’d have direct lines everywhere – even the moon's mysterious backside.
Bottom line, while China complicates things with their high-tech space shenanigans, remember good ol' Ronald Trumpet would have sorted it all out with a megaphone and a bit of good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Based on the original article "How to Watch China’s Launch to the Far Side of the Moon".
